Mark your calendars! On Thursday, Nov. 15, Collier County celebrates America Recycles Day with a Reuse & Recycling Roundup, which will take place from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Goodwill Industries store located in the Towne Center (3759 E. Tamiami Trail, Naples). Free "secure" shredding; pharmaceutical take back and household waste collections will also be available.

The city of Naples will also be celebrating America Recycles Day by hosting an electronics roundup from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15 at the Solid Waste Operations Center located at 50 Riverside Circle, adjacent to the dog park.

A third event, the Collier County Household Hazardous Waste Roundup, will be from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 17. This event will be held at three of the county's recycling drop-off centers located in Naples, North Naples and Marco Island.

Residential customers may drop off items to be recycled/reused at the County Reuse & Recycling Roundup locations, at no charge. Recycle used automobile oil and filters, gasoline, antifreeze; propane tanks, latex and oil-based paints; large and small rechargeable and car/boat batteries, ink cartridges, fluorescent bulbs, paper and cardboard, plastics (grade 1-7) and aluminum, as well as electronics (computers, televisions, etc.), mobile phones, medical sharps and up to four standard vehicle tires, among other items. For a complete list of acceptable items, visit colliergov.net/recycles or call 239-252-2380.

Eventually, recycling will become second nature for all of us, but until that time, here is a short list of ideas for recycling and/or reusing some familiar household items throughout the year. For more solutions, visit www.Earth911.com or www.CollierGov.net/recycles:

Wire hangers: Return to dry cleaner to be reused.

Flower vases: Return to local florist to be reused.

Small rechargeable & alkaline batteries: cellular and cordless phones, cordless power tools and laptop computers batteries can be recycled at any Office Depot, Target or Best Buy location.

Fluorescent light bulbs: Recycle at any Home Depot location.

Plastic plant flats &pots: Drop-off at your local garden center to be returned to the vendors for reuse.

Styrofoam "peanuts": they are the ultimate reusable product; or recycle them as most pack and ship or UPS stores will reuse them. (Note: block Styrofoam is not recyclable.)

Important papers: Office Depot offers a while-you-wait, on-site shredding service for $.99/pound.

Catalogs: Be proactive and terminate all paper catalog subscriptions. Recycle catalogs along with newspapers, magazines and telephone books.

Magazines: It's impossible to use airline miles to purchase airline tickets, so we get suckered into trading miles for magazines. Why not donate your mileage points to the Make-A-Wish Foundation or American Cancer Society instead? Visit: www.Wish.org or www.Cancer.org.

Printer & fax machine ink cartridges: Drop-off at any local post office, office supply store or Best Buy to be recycled.

Coffee "pods" & charcoal water filters: Brita Walter Filter and Nestlé Nespresso one-cup coffee makers have recycle programs, which are described on their company websites.

Yoga mats: Wipe, roll and send worn-out yoga mats to www.RecycleYourMat.com; just sounds like a recipe for sushi. Source: The Oprah Magazine.

Used tech equipment: The National Cristina Foundation accepts computers, printers, software, fax machines and monitors, et cetera, which they donate to a variety of nonprofit organizations, schools and public agencies. www.Cristina.org. Source: The Oprah Magazine.

Used cords, wires, cables and remote controls: Drop off at any Best Buy location.

Large household items and appliances: washers, dryers, stoves, grills and refrigerators; building debris such as toilets, sinks, tubs, cabinets and countertops or mattresses, box springs and tires (up to four standard vehicle tires/month) and other bulky items can be left on the curb as long as you call in advance to schedule residential curbside pickup: 239-252-2380.

Paint cans, hazardous household chemicals/cleaners and large batteries: Residents may bring these items, for free, year-round to any Collier County Recycling Drop-off Center.

Mobile phones & accessories: Drop off at any Collier County Sheriff's substation. All personal information will be erased and the phones recalibrated to provide children and adults living in fear of abuse access to police and ambulance services 24 hours a day/365 days a year. Please visit: www.NaplesShelter.org For more information.

American flags: To retire a worn-out American flag, contact your local Veterans' Council or go to AmericanFlags.org/docs/etiquette

Prescription and over-the-counter drugs: do not flush medications of any sort down the toilet or throw them away in the trash; instead, take all drugs and medical sharps to the Sheriff's Department (Collier County Government Center/Building J, 3301 Tamiami Trail East, in Naples). Visit www.CollierSheriff.org for details.

The responsibility to protect the environment — our environment — is a fact of life. Every effort, no matter how large or small, makes a difference. It's up to each and every one of us to be proactive and to think smart.

Here are a few of my personal favorites: instead of using plastic bottles, purchase a water purifying Brita pitcher or get a water cooler for home or office use; instead of sending birthday and anniversary cards, send an e-card or better yet, pick up the phone and say "hello"; instead of printing out photos, create a computer generated slide-show and finally, get an e-book and be the envy of all your friends.

We invite you to send us questions about how to get and stay organized, which will be addressed in future columns.